I Was Caught up in a Hero Summoning, but That World Is at Peace

<Author’s Notes>

As previously announced, updates will be every other day starting tomorrow. Thank you for your understanding.

Since I’d like to have a bit of a buffer until I get used to it, I’ll be writing the story every other day from now on…… As for the start of the side story’s actual serialization…… I’m thinking around April 12 or 13.

Pushed along by Serious-senpai’s momentum, I passed through the noren, and it looked like behind it was a changing room…… but there was no sign of it being separated by gender at all.

[……Senpai, it seems like there’s only one changing room here, doesn’t it?]

[Well, it’s not like it matters; it’s just you and me in this inn……]

[Wha!? Senpai! Why are you trying to start undressing all of a sudden!?]

[……Well, if we’re going into an onsen, shouldn’t we take off our clothes? As expected, only those advanced ones can handle actually entering an onsen clothed.]

Before I could finish, Serious-senpai started moving as if to take off her skirt, and I hurriedly called out to stop her, to which she tilted her head in confusion…… seemingly having left all sense of embarrassment in some torture chamber somewhere.

[No, that’s not it…… you’re with someone of the opposite gender here, so maybe you should hesitate a little……]

[Eh? What’s the problem…… Hah!? I get it now!]

[No, that’s not it.]

[But I haven’t said anything yet!?]

Serious-senpai seemed to notice something from my expression, but from my past experience, she probably didn’t understand my thoughts. She would start saying something completely off-base.

[……Well, don’t worry. It’s not like I’m picky about whether someone’s muscular or not, so there’s no need to be embarrassed.]

[A- Ahh, I see…… you’re interpreting it as me being the one embarrassed to undress…… errr…… hmm.]

What the heck, is it me? Am I the weird one here? Why is Serious-senpai so calm and unbothered? Does she really not have any sense of shame at all?

[……I just want to confirm…… Senpai, you don’t see any problem with bathing together with me, right?]

[Problem? On the contrary, what problem are you even talking about here? A- Ahh, I see…… just as you think, the prerequisites for a bathing-together event with me are very strict! If my affection for you isn’t over 96 out of a maximum of 100, the event won’t trigger.]

[Indeed, that seems like it would be tough to raise it that high…… So, how much affection have I earned so far?]

[5 quadrillion.]

[……Excuse me?]

[Like I said, if the maximum is 100, then 5 quadrillion is about where you’re at.]

……If the maximum can be exceeded to that degree, doesn’t the concept of a limit become meaningless? The number choice seems ridiculously exaggerated…… but apparently, I’ve earned 50 trillion times the maximum affection for Serious-senpai…… so a joint bath is no problem…… In fact, her affection level is at a point where marriage wouldn’t even be surprising.

[…………………………………Let’s go to the onsen then.]

There were a lot of thoughts swirling in my head, and my mind hadn’t fully caught up with the situation…… but if Serious-senpai genuinely had no issue with bathing together, there was nothing more I needed to say.

Still, I just couldn’t help feeling awkward, so I turned my back to avoid seeing her change, carefully undressed, and moved to the onsen together.

The onsen was outdoors, with a magnificent view of mountains and trees that I couldn’t quite place, but it was breathtaking. After lightly washing ourselves, soaking in the onsen calmed my frazzled mind and I felt a small sense of relief.

[Ahh~~ onsens really are wonderful. Kaito, isn’t this the part where you prepare some alcohol for the respected me?]

[W- Well, I can prepare the alcohol, but…… umm…… a- aren’t you a bit too close?]

[Too close? Is there a problem with that?]

[Unstoppable…… this Senpai……]

Even though we were in an onsen together, her sense of personal space was off. She leaned casually against me as if sitting that close was just natural.

Her smooth skin pressed against me, and if I carelessly turned my head, the high transparency of the water would make some very dangerous things visible, so my gaze stayed fixed diagonally upward.

For now, I served the alcohol Serious-senpai requested, placing it on a tray and handing it over.

[By the way, isn’t this onsen kind of deep?]

[Eh? No, I think it’s normal……]

[Is it a height problem…… no, it’s because my legs are just long and my sitting height is low huh!!!]

[Well, I think it’s true that you’re petite……]

She’s taller than Kuro, but at around 150 cm, calling her petite isn’t wrong. While I was thinking that, Serious-senpai did something shocking.

[A little…… ah, yes. This should work.]

[Ha!? Wait, S- Senpai!?]

As my gaze stayed angled upward, I heard her voice as if she’d come up with a good idea. Immediately after, something soft pressed down on my thighs, and when I hurriedly looked, Serious-senpai was sitting on my lap.

Is she an idiot!? Doing something like this, wouldn’t anyone feel some sort of hesitation at all!? Especially when it involves that extremely dangerous and delicate area, normally even lovers would take a few steps before doing something like this!

[Hmph! Complaining won’t help! For a while, you’ll serve as my chair to adjust the height!!!]

[No, that’s not the problem here!]

[Unn?]

[Don’t turn around, I’ll be able to see them!!!]

[Huh? We’re in the onsen together, so I don’t think it’s a problem if you see…… I really don’t get you. Ah, Kaito, you drinking? I’ll pour it for you.]

[W- Wait, don’t move around while you’re on my lap!!!]

[……Ehhhh, you sure are bossy.]

[That reaction of yours that makes me look like the troublesome one is what’s weird here!!!]

She’s way too defenseless, completely unguarded and extremely dangerous, and because Serious-senpai reacts to my reaction with utter confusion, it somehow makes it feel like I’m the one acting weird. It’s basically a bug in the system.

S- Seriously, how should I say this…… She just visits once every year, but I feel like I’m always being dragged around by Serious-senpai.

<Afterword>

? ? ? : [You complain nonstop about lovey-dovey stuff, but you’re doing it yourself too, aren’t you!?]

Serious-senpai (Affection Level: 5 quadrillion) : [No, with the kind of relationship Kaito and I have, this level of physical contact is just playing around, isn’t it?]

? ? ? : [No, no, being in contact while naked is already way beyond normal, you know!? It only didn’t turn into something crazier because Kaito-san has an orichalcum-level sense of reason, one wrong step and things could’ve gotten way more intense!]

Serious-senpai (Affection Level: 5 quadrillion): [If Kaito wants to do something, he can just do as he likes, you know? I don’t have any problem with it at all.]

? ? ? : [This senpai’s hopeless…… her affection level is so high her sense of boundaries is completely bugged……]